 Bishop Leontine T. C. Kelly, Retired United Methodist Church Opening Worship Preacher Monday, 7:30 p.m. |
Bishop Kelly was ordained to the episcopacy in 1984 by the Western Jurisdictional Conference of the United Methodist Church, the second female and first African American woman to be elected bishop of any major denomination. She served as bishop of the California-Nevada Annual Conference and president of the Western Jurisdiction College of Bishops. She has received nine honorary doctoral degrees and numerous other awards. |
 The Rev. Dr. Ofelia M. Ortega Suárez Matanzas, Cuba Keynote Presenter Tuesday, 9:00 a.m. |
The Rev. Dr. Ofelia M. Ortega Suárez has been principal of the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Matanzas, Cuba since 1997. She has taught pastoral theology for 25 years, holds a Doctor of Ministry degree in feminist theology from the San Francisco Theological Seminary and a doctoral degree, honoris causa, from the Lutheran Seminary in Madras, India. She has served the World Council of Churches in various capacities, including that of Advisor to the General Assemblies in Uppsala and Nairobi. She is an ordained pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Cuba, where she has served several congregations. |
 Bishop Thomas L. Hoyt, Jr. The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church Closing Luncheon Speaker Thursday, 11:00 a.m. |
Bishop Hoyt was elected to the episcopacy in the 1994 General Conference in Memphis, TN and was assigned to the Fourth Episcopal District comprising Louisiana and Mississippi. He has been Professor of New Testament at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Howard University School of Religion in the District of Columbia and Hartford Seminary in Connecticut. He was awarded the Doctor of Divinity degree from Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut in 1994. Among his professional accomplishments are more than forty articles and three books. |